My Other Half
by AlphaDemon
Summary: Lucy has run away from home. Why? Only she knows. She is now attending Fairy Tail High. She's making friends and she's happy. But when she meets Natsu, she gains an enemy, but it's not him. Slowly, very slowly, Lucy's feelings grow, and she finds herself the target of none other than...(I know, I suck at summaries. Just give it a shot.) (Rated T for language) My 1st fan fic.(NaLu!)
1. Chapter 1

**Hi mina! This is my first fan fic so please go easy on me. I apologize in advance for any grammar or spelling errors.**

**Hope you enjoy!**

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><p>Lucy's POV<p>

_Beep! Beep! Beep! _I slammed my hand down on the annoying alarm clock as it went off. It's the first day of my second year of high school, and I'm so looking forward to it. Oh! Gomen, I forgot to introduce myself. I'm Lucy Heartfillia. I'm sixteen years old and have golden blonde hair and chocolate brown eyes. I'm here in Magnolia city to start my new life from…. Well, let's not ruin the good mood. Anyway, I'm just now dragging myself out of bed to prepare for my first day at Fairy Tail High. Ahh, the warm water from my shower feels so good. Once I get out, I put on my school uniform; white shirt covered by a gray blazer and black neck tie, followed by a gray, almost knee length skirt and black shoes. I put my hair up into its signature side pony tail as I head to the kitchen. Grabbing some toast, I rush out the door. _Crap! I'm gonna be late!_

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><p>Wow. That's all I can say as I stand in front of the marvelous building in front of me. <em>It's so big! <em>I think as I head for the door. I'm a couple yards away when I notice a group of four boys blocking the entrance. Three of them have weird hair; pink, orange, and long spiky black, while the other one has raven black hair. They look like delinquents with their unbuttoned blazers, wrinkled shirts, baggy pants, and loose neck ties. As I walk pass them, I feel a pair of eyes burning holes in my neck. Quickly, I glance behind me and see the pink haired one staring at me with his onyx eyes. I start walking faster; still looking at him to make sure he isn't following me. Since I wasn't looking in front of me, I didn't see the small, blue haired girl in front of me.

"Oof!... Oh, I'm sorry. I wasn't watching where I was going." I apologized to her.

"Its fine, I'm used to it since I'm always reading. My name's Levy McGarden. It's nice to meet you!" exclaimed the petite, glasses wearing girl.

"I'm Lucy Ashley." _I don't want anyone knowing I'm a Heartfillia. _"It's nice to meet you too. Do you need help carrying all your books?" I asked Levy, who was carrying a pile bigger than her.

"That would be great, thanks." she replied.

Carefully, I took some of her books and we entered the school. We turned a corner and headed to some dark red lockers. Surprisingly, mine was next to Levy's.

"What's your first class?" Levy asked as she crammed her many books in the small locker.

"Uhhh… Math with Macao-Sensei." I replied while looking at my schedule.

"Mine too!" Levy exclaimed. We both squealed and then headed for class.

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><p>Natsu's POV<p>

"Wake up, baka!" a voice yelled in my ear. Groggily I opened one of my onyx eyes and saw raven black hair.

"Five more minutes." I groaned. Ugh, school, that's what the teme's waking me up for.

I shivered as the covers were ripped off me by that slanty eyed, ice princess. _Wack! _"Itte!" I yelled as I held the spot on my head where my roommate, Gray Fullbuster, had punched me.

"Get _up_! We're gonna be late!" Gray shouted. Slowly, I got up. I sent a glare to Gray as I made my way to the bathroom.

I put on my school uniform sloppily, making sure to ruffle my shirt, leave my blazer unbuttoned, and wear my white scarf instead of a neck tie. Not even bothering to comb my spiky salmon hair, I exited the bathroom. Gray and I grabbed some donuts and started walking to school.

I saw a head of orange hair as I neared the school entrance. "Loki!" I called to him and we bro hugged. Gray stepped forward and bro hugged him after me.

"It's been too long guys. Shame we couldn't hang out over the summer." Loki said.

"Definitely." Gray and I agreed at the same time.

"Oi! Don't copy me!" I exclaimed.

"You copied me!" Gray argued back.

"Did not, droopy eyes!"

"Slanty eyes!"

"Ice princess!"

"Flame breath!"

"Pervert!"

"Huh?!" Gray looked down to see that he was only wearing his pants. "Shit!" he exclaimed before rushing off to find his shirt and blazer.

"Stupid stripping habit's gonna get 'im in trouble one day." my orange haired friend declared.

"Yeah, it is." I turned my head and was met with a heavily pierced face. "Yo, Gajeel. Been way too long man." We fist bumped as I said this.

"Don't get all emotional on me, Salamander. You too Loki." My long haired friend replied.

"Yo Gajeel." Gray greeted while putting on his blazer. "How ya been?"

"Been good. How 'bout you guys?"

"I've been gre—" I stopped halfway to stare at an angelic looking blonde as she walked by. Her golden hair flipped over her shoulder as she turned to look at me – I mean us – with her chocolate brown eyes. She kept staring as she walked passed us. Finally, I shifted my gaze from hers to see my friends staring at her too.

"Dibs."

That one word snapped their attention back to reality.

"I call dibs." I declared again.

They looked at me with disbelieving looks but then surrendered.

"Fine."

"Bro Code."

"Lucky teme."

With a triumphant smile, I walked through the entrance doors with Gray and Loki pouting behind me, while Gajeel had an 'I don't care' look on his face.

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><p>Lucy's POV<p>

"I want everyone to stand around the perimeter of the room while I call out your seats." Macao-Sensei said. Hurriedly, the class complied. "Loki you'll sit here with…" After a minute or two, he called my name. "Lucy, this is your desk, and next to you will be…. Levy."

_Yes! _Levy and I sat in our seats and high fived. As Macao-Sensei finished assigning seats, Levy and I chatted away. During class we whispered so as to not get caught. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw the orange haired guy from the entrance – Loki, I think it was – scowling to himself, obviously in deep thought about something other than math. _Wonder what it is, _I thought. _Ah well, not my problem. _If only I knew how wrong I was.

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><p>When class finally ended, I walked to my second period; social studies with Wakaba-Sensei. I walked into class alone since Levy wasn't in this class and looked at the board which read:<p>

**Choose a seat. I don't care where you sit.**

As I looked around for one, I saw the whole group from the school entrance sitting together. Even though the pink haired one was talking, I noticed how his eyes followed me as I walked to the row behind them and sat down at the only seat untaken; the window seat directly behind him. All four of them turned around and looked at me. Gulping, I avoided eye contact and instead pretended to be interested in the trees outside.

"I'm Natsu Dragneel. What's your name?" His deep voice startled me and I snapped my head around to look at them.

"Uhh….." _I'm not gonna be scared. It's just some troublesome looking boys. _"What's it to you?"

"Well, we're gonna be classmates so I figured why not make you a friend too?" he replied.

_That's his reason? What a stupid reason, _I thought. "Tell me their names, and I'll tell you mine." I gestured at his posse.

"Gray Fullbuster." answered the raven black haired teen.

"Loki Celeste." the orange haired one said.

"Gajeel Redfox." mumbled the spiky black haired guy with a bored look on his heavily pierced face.

"…." When I didn't give my name, Natsu asked again.

"What's your name? We gave you ours; it's only fair you give us yours."

"Lucy" I mumbled quietly, in hope that they couldn't hear it. I told them I would tell my name, but I never said I'd say it loud enough for them to hear. Gray and Loki gave me confused looks while Natsu and Gajeel reacted, though Gajeel didn't seem to care.

"Lucy. That's a pretty name." Natsu complimented.

I stared at him, dumbfounded. _How did he hear that? And Gajeel reacted too. Amazing hearing, I guess, _I wondered. Then his reply processed and I looked out the window with a light tint of pink coating my cheeks.

Wakaba-Sensei walked into the classroom and declared "These will be your seats for the year unless I move you or you get my permission to move or swap with someone. Now, since it's day one and I don't feel like teaching, I'm going to give you these worksheets for you to use to get to know your classmates. Ask them ONE question and have them answer it. I want the paper filled as much as possible. It will be graded on completion. When you finish, you can talk quietly. Now, get started."

_This is stupid. _I thought. I walked around the room and got most of my sheet filled out. Only four questions were left, and only four people hadn't answered a question. _Great. The delinquents are the only ones left, _I moped. Hesitantly, I walked to them. "Can you guys answer the last four questions for me?" I asked, somewhat with a demanding tone.

"Sure." Gray and Natsu said. They glared at each other before head butting.

"That's the second time you've copied me today!" Natsu growled.

"Nuh uh, you copied me!" Gray snarled.

"Did not popsicle!"

"Hot head!"

"Ice cube!"

"Droopy eyes!"

"Squinty eyes!"

I stared at them, a sweat drop forming on the back of my head. _So childish. _"Ah hem." I tried to get their attention, but to no avail. Loki was immediately at my side when he saw I was being ignored.

"I'll listen to you, babe. You can talk to me whenever. I'll always be here for you, my precious hime-sama." He kissed the back of my hand. Uncomfortably, I removed my hand from his and averted my gaze from his. Things only got worse, though.

"Exhibitionist!" Natsu yelled. I blushed heavily when I saw Gray's uncovered upper body, and his eight pack of abs.

"Dragneel! Fullbuster! Stop yelling! And put a shirt on Fullbuster!" Wakaba-Sensei shouted from his desk.

_Ring! _"Whew." _Saved by the bell. _I packed up my things and headed to my next class, still red faced.

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><p><strong>So, how was it? I'm hoping to make the chapters longer in the future. I promise that this story will pick up, I just haven't decided what's gonna happen yet.<strong>

**Please give me your feedback and any advice.**

**-AlphaDemon**


	2. Chapter 2

**Hi guys! Big thanks to those of you who read my last chapter. Huge thanks to those who followed and favorited, and even larger thanks to **Amy wolfscent and Co, **and **Animecat16 **for reviewing.**

**Here's chapter 2. Hope you enjoy!**

_(Italics is thoughts and sounds)_

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><p>Lucy's POV<p>

I met up with Levy and a red haired girl in the hallway. She was pretty; long, scarlet hair and brown eyes, but she has this aura that's kinda scary.

"Hi Levy-chan!" I greeted her.

"Hi Lu-chan! This is Erza Scarlet, the student council president." Levy introduced the scarlet haired girl.

"It's nice to meet you." Erza said.

"Nice to meet you too. What class do you guys have next?" I asked.

Erza and Levy looked at their schedules then both replied "Language Arts with Yajima-Sensei."

"Mine too!" I exclaimed. The three of us walked to class together, unaware of the three pairs of eyes glaring our way.

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><p><em>Oh crap, <em>Levy and I thought as we entered class, but for different reasons. Erza looked at us quizzically when she noticed our pale faces and the sweat now rolling down our necks.

"Let's sit away from those two." Levy said pointing at a skinny man with his orange hair pulled in a high ponytail, and a tan man with his black hair in a ponytail resembling a scorpion's tail above his head.

"Why?" I asked. Erza had a knowing look on her face and seemed to be holding back giggles.

Levy didn't seem able to answer, so Erza answered for her. "That's Jet and Droy. They've had a crush on Levy since middle school and like to follow her around. It can get annoying and awkward, not to mention embarrassing."

"Hahaha! That's hilarious! Uh, I mean…. I'm sorry for you?" I changed my reply when I saw the glare Levy was giving me.

"Why'd you turn pale, Lucy?" Levy asked, getting back at me.

"Huh? Oh, uh, cause of the stripper over there." I mumbled while blushing and pointing at Gray, who was sitting next to a blue haired girl that was staring at him with hearts in her eyes.

"You like him, don't you?" Levy teased.

"Of course not! He's childish, rude, immature, and he STRIPS! Obviously he's some sort of pervert. I could never like a guy like that." I defended myself.

"Uh huh, su—let's sit over there!" Levy suddenly squealed in the middle of her retort. Luckily she wasn't pointing at Gray. She was pointing at metal face. _Gajeel's here too?! And crap, he's on Gray's other side! _I screamed in my mind.

Yajima-Sensei entered the classroom and I was forced to sit near the delinquents. Levy took the seat next to Gajeel and I sat next to Levy. Erza was on my other side.

Not much happened during class. That's if you count Gray stripping in the middle of the lecture and the blue haired girl next to him yelling "Gray-Sama! You're so hot! Juvia loves you!" as not much. But the one thing that caught my eye was Levy. Her gaze was constantly wandering to Gajeel, and a light blush coated her cheeks the whole period. _I'll have to tease her about that later._

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><p>After the long and boring lesson finally ended, Levy, Erza, and I split up to go to our next classes. I was humming to myself when I felt a hand on my shoulder. I turned around and was met with a girl with short white hair and beautiful baby blue eyes.<p>

"Can I talk to you for a sec?" she asked. I nodded and she pulled me into a deserted hallway. She dropped my wrist like it was a hot rock.

"You don't deserve him. Stay away from him." She glared daggers at me.

"Who's him?" I was completely confused.

"You know who! You were talking to him this morning!" When I didn't show any signs of recognition, she restated. "Natsu Dragneel, dumbass! I saw you staring at him this morning and my sources say you talked to him and the other guys. You're just a nerd. Stay. Away. From. Him."

"Why? We're just…" _How do I word this? _"classmates." I didn't know exactly what to call those slobs.

She gave me a glare that would have Godzilla running and hiding. "He's mine." She stated. "Stay away from him if you don't want trouble." That's when I noticed the purple haired girl and the brown haired girl standing on either side of me. They looked dangerous.

"Uh….. Ok?" _I'll play along for now. I don't see her problem, though. It's not like I'm interested in them in _that _way._

"Good." And with that they turned around and walked away. "Oh, by the way, I'm Lisanna Strauss. Don't forget, geek." she called over her shoulder.

_That was….. weird. _I glanced at my watch. _Shit! Class starts in a minute! _With that, I ran to P.E.

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><p>"Do three laps around the track. Running, no walking." Laxus-Sensei was saying when I sat down on the bleachers in the gym after hastily changing into my P.E uniform. The uniform was a comfortable, somewhat loose fitting, white T-Shirt with the red Fairy Tail symbol on it, and dark blue basketball shorts.<p>

I scanned the crowd for anyone I knew and saw a head of pink hair. _Natsu. At least there's someone I know, even if it's him. _I thought. Then I noticed the girl sitting next to him. "Lisanna." I growled her name under my breath. _Great. Of all the people it could've been._

"Hai, Sensei!" the class yelled. I waited for the crowd to die down before I made my way to the track. I'll admit, I've never liked running. Never been good at it either. My stamina is low compared to other girls, and I don't have much muscle endurance.

I was on my second lap when it happened. It was like slow motion. Lisanna sped up from behind me, stuck out her foot, and tripped me. I stumbled but didn't fall, so she did it again. But this time she kicked my ankle. Sharp pain ran up my leg as my ankle buckled under me. No one saw it. No one saw her kick me. She's not going to get punished for this, no matter what I say.

I tried to stand up, but I fell to the ground the moment my hurt ankle tried to hold weight. "Argh!" _It's probably sprained, _I guessed.

As carefully as I could, I tried to take my shoe off. Tried being the key word. The pain only intensified, so I had to stop.

"Lucy!" I turned my head at the call of my name and saw Natsu sprinting to me. "You okay? What happened? Is it your ankle? Do you need the nurse?" He bombarded me with questions, but I was able to answer them all.

"No, I'm not okay. I tripped. Yes, it's my ankle. Most likely sprained. And I probably do need the nurse." I examined my swelling and bruised ankle. _Damn Lisanna. _I sent her laughing figure a glare out of the corner of my eye. She noticed and glared back from the other side of the track.

Strong yet gentle arms grabbed me. "Ehhh?!" I looked at his determined face and blushed, looking away. Natsu carried me, bridal style, to Laxus-Sensei.

"I'm gonna take her to see Mira." Natsu said.

"Good idea." Laxus-Sensei replied while studying my injured ankle.

The last thing I saw before Natsu carried me out of the gym was Lisanna's disbelieving look turn into a death glare, aimed right at me.

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><p><strong>So whad ya think? It's a bit shorter than the last chapter, but it felt like the right spot to end it at.<strong>

**There's gonna be some NaLu fluff in the next chappy, which I'm already writing.**

**'Til then, thanks for readin**

**-AlphaDemon**


	3. Chapter 3

**Hey mina! I'd like to thank cookiebear326isforNaLu, and animerainbow924 for reviewing for chapter 2! And thanks to everyone who followed/favorited. Also, thanks to those who have read this.**

**Here's chapter 3!**

_(Italics is thoughts and sounds)_

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><p>Natsu's POV<p>

I was running my third lap around the track when I noticed Lisanna speeding up in front of me. She ran to Lucy. _Maybe they'll become friends!_ I thought joyfully. I closed my eyes as a smile graced my lips. When I opened them, I saw Lucy on the ground trying to take off her shoe. _Weirdo. What's she doing?_ I wondered. Then I heard her gasp in pain. My eyes widened as I realized she was injured.

"Lucy!" I yelled in panic, sprinting to her. She looked up but before she could say anything I asked her questions as fast as I could. "You okay? What happened? Is it your ankle? Do you need the nurse?"

She took a second to take it all in before finally answering, "No, I'm not okay. I tripped. Yes, it's my ankle. Most likely sprained. And I probably do need the nurse." She looked at her swollen and bruised ankle. I noticed her eyes look to the side and took advantage of it.

Carefully, I wrapped my arms around her back and under her knees. With determination on my face, I carried her, bridal style, to Laxus-Sensei. I couldn't tell if her squeal of "Ehhh?!" was from shock or disapproval. I did notice her blushing, though.

"I'm gonna take her to see Mira." I stated.

"Good idea." Laxus-Sensei replied.

With that, I carried the blonde out of the gym.

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><p>An awkward silence filled the hallway as I headed to the infirmary. We were halfway there when Lucy broke the tense atmosphere.<p>

"Thank you."

I turned my head to look at her brown orbs. "For what?" I asked.

"For helping me. For caring. For wanting to be my friend." she blushed as the words came out of her mouth.

"No problem. We're nakama, after all. We are friends, right?" Suddenly, I was unsure of how she viewed me.

"Not yet. But maybe one day. Maybe soon." she muttered the last part but my sharp ears caught it. Disappointment coursed through me before I came up with a solution.

Flashing my bright, goofy smile I said "I'll just have to make you want to be my friend then. It'll be like a game."

She looked confused for a second but then gave a mischievous smile. "You're on." She declared.

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><p>We reached the infirmary and I kicked the door open yelling "Mira! We have an injured person!" A beautiful woman with long, flowing, white hair poked her head out of a door and looked at us.<p>

"Set her down on the bed over there." Mira ordered, pointing at a bed in the corner of the room. Slowly and carefully, I set Lucy down on the soft mattress. She groaned in pain when her ankle touched the comforter.

"I'm Mirajane, the school nurse. You can call me Mira." She introduced herself. "Tell me your name, age, grade, and what happened."

"I'm Lucy Ashley, 17 years old. I'm in tenth grade. During gym class, we were running laps and I tripped and I think my ankle's sprained." Lucy answered her.

"I'll take a look at it." Mira said while moving towards Lucy. I watched as she examined Lucy's swollen ankle. "You're right. It's sprained. I'll wrap it up and give you some pain killers." Lucy gladly accepted the pills handed to her. She gulped them down with the water I handed her while Mira wrapped Lucy's ankle. "You'll need to use these crutches." Mira got up and grabbed the crutches from a supply closet. Handing them to Lucy, she said "Come back tomorrow so I can check it. You can take more pain killer in six to eight hours and put ice on it when you get home."

"Arigatou, Mira!" Lucy waved bye to Mira before grabbing the crutches and hobbling out the door. I was about to follow her when Mira grabbed my arm.

"Natsu, she didn't trip." _What?!_ "Someone tripped her. No, someone kicked her ankle. It wouldn't be bruised if she only tripped."

I looked at her, shocked. _Who would want to hurt Lucy on the first day? Who would want to hurt her at all? The only person near her when it happened was Lisanna, but she would _never_ do something like that._

"Just... Keep an eye on her. Make sure she's safe." Mira told me.

"Yeah! I'll make sure no bastard ever hurts her again!" I declared. After saying a quick goodbye to Mira, I ran after Lucy.

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><p>After explaining where I had been to Lucy (not telling her I knew she had been kicked; for some reason I felt like I shouldn't), we slowly made our way back to class. I grabbed both our things from the gym and together we headed to Gildarts-Sensei's science class; Lucy's last class for the day, since we had missed lunch and fifth period.<p>

I knocked on the door and, after hearing a deep voice say "Come in.", opened it. Juggling our things, I held the door open for Lucy. She made her way to an unoccupied desk and sat down, albeit with much difficultly. I placed her books on her desk, made sure she was okay, and then reluctantly left. With my empty stomach growling, and food on my mind, I headed to my sixth period class.

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><p>Lucy's POV<p>

"I'm fine, Natsu." I reassured him. Everyone was staring at us, making my face grow hot.

"... Ok." He said. "Bye, Luce." He hesitated before he left.

_Luce? What's up with the nickname?_ I pondered over the reasons but came up with nothing good. Sighing, I paid attention to Gildarts-Sensei.

"Was he your boyfriend?" The question startled me. I turned to look at the brown haired girl sitting next to me. The black haired guy sitting on her other side was looking at me questioningly, too.

"Ehhhh!? What! No! Absolutely not!" I whisper shouted.

"Hehehe. Ok." The girl giggled. "Oh, I'm Cana. The idiot behind me is Bacchus. And the pervert staring behind you is Bora.

"Huh!" I snapped my head around to see a purple haired guy - Bora - staring at me. Quickly, I used my hands to cover my chest. I glared at him as I blushed furiously.

"Stop staring at her chest, baka. It's creepy." Cana demanded as she took a gulp from a bottle. Bora's head snapped up and he sheepishly rubbed the back of his neck.

"Uh. Um." He fake coughed. "Sorry." He apologized, but I don't think he meant it.

The period went by slowly, and it was awkward sitting next to Bora, who I saw glancing at me often.

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><p>I had to wait for someone to come help me with my things when class ended. I thought Levy was going to come, but someone else came.<p>

"Natsu?" He forced his way through the people exiting the door and stumbled up in front of me.

"Hey Luce. I thought ya might need some help with your things." He smiled a smile that stretched from ear to ear.

"It's Lucy, not Luce." I corrected him. In a lighter tone I said "You don't have to. I mean, I'm sure Levy has heard by now and is on her way here." I didn't mind Natsu's help, but I didn't want Levy to get the wrong idea.

"Luce. I want to help you. Plus, you probably need a ride home right? I can get my mom to come get us. Since you're on crutches, you can come to my house and we can hang out." He rubbed the back of his head awkwardly. "The guys and some of their female friends are coming over, so you should come too." He smiled his sunny smile again.

"..." I pondered over this. _On one hand, I could make new friends, learn more about the slobs, and not be alone for the rest of the day. On the other hand, the girls could be bitches, I could be raped, and I might never get away from them._

"Come on, Luce. It'll be fun." Natsu pleaded.

"... Who are the girls?" I asked, still deciding.

"Uhh... I think Gray is bringing Juvia. Gajeel said something about a Shrimp. And who knows who Loki'll bring. Oh! And Lisanna's gonna meet us there." He replied. Instantly, my mood turned sour. _Lisanna. Might as well not go if all she's going to do is threaten and injure me. Not to mention she could humiliate me in front of everyone. But then again... It does sound fun, and Levy might be the Shrimp. She did say there's a guy that calls her that. And Juvia might be the blue haired girl from third period. Maybe if I can..._

"Can I bring one of my friends?" The words slipped from my mouth before I could think.

He hesitated then said "Sure. It'll probably make you feel more comfortable to have someone you know. Do you need to call your parents?"

"No." I replied instantly. He looked a little shocked by that, but brushed it off.

"Let's go find this friend of yours then." We went to my locker so I could get my back pack, then made our way to the school's front doors.

"She and I made plans to go to a café together, so she should be waiting for me. Oh! There she is! Erza!" I called out to her while hobbling faster on my crutches.

"Lucy! What happened? Are you okay?" She asked, noticing my crutches.

"I'm fine. I tripped in P.E is all. Anyway, do you want to come hang out with Natsu, some other people, and I?"

"Yes, that sounds fun."

"I'll call my mom, then." Natsu pulled out his red cellphone and walked to a bench. He dialed a number and held the phone to his ear.

"How do you know Natsu?" Erza asked.

"We met this morning. Why? Do you know him?"

"Yes, we're childhood friends along with Gray. Loki and Gajeel we met two years ago."

I didn't have time to reply before Natsu came back to us. "She's on her way." he said. "Damn it! I didn't go to my locker!" He started running back to the double doors. "I'll be back in a sec!" he yelled over his shoulder.

We stared at his retreating form, then started chit chatting. A few minutes later, he came jogging back just as a light blue car pulled up. Erza sat in the front passenger seat next to a dark blue haired woman. I sat in the seat behind Erza. Natsu sat next to me. I stretched my injured foot out on the floor after Erza moved her chair all the way forward.

"I'm Grandine, Natsu's mother." The woman looked at me with kind, brown eyes. "It's nice to meet a new friend of Natsu's." She smiled.

"It's nice to meet you too. My name's Lucy." I returned the smile.

"Well then, let's get going." She turned to the wheel and started the car. We drove off, talking idly.

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><p><strong>Japanese Translations: Arigatou- thank you<strong>

**I hope you liked it! It's my longest chapter yet. I hope to make them longer, though.**

**So, I forgot to say this last chapter, so I'll say it now. I have NOTHING against Lisanna. I actually like her character in the anime. I only used her as a bad guy because it makes a good plot. So, please don't hate me if you like Lisanna as a good guy.**

**On another note, I've started a new AU NaLu fan fic called Dark and Silent. (For all you Lisanna lovers out there, she is GOOD in this fan fic.) Personally, I'm really proud of it so far. I should have chapter one up by Monday (hopefully). I would love it if you all would give it a shot.**

**Oh! A HUGE thanks to xTheWanderingTravellerx (my best friend) for editing this chappy!**

**Hope you enjoyed!**

**-AlphaDemon**


	4. Chapter 4

**Hey mina! Thanks to everyone who's favorited, followed, and/or reviewed, or viewed!**

**Here's chapter 4! Hope you enjoy!**

_(Italics is thoughts and sounds)_

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><p>Natsu's POV<p>

"Welcome to our home!" I yelled, jumping out of the car. My house is a two story, red brick one. Not very big, but homier than any mansion.

Lucy slowly stepped out of the car with her crutches. Cautiously, she set her injured foot down and, using the crutches to support some of her weight, walked towards my house. Erza grabbed Lucy's and her own things and slung them over her back as she walked next to Lucy.

I held the wooden door open for everyone as they went inside. We entered to a hallway and walked down it to the living room which connected to the kitchen. My mom turned to face us and, in a cheery voice, declared "Make yourselves at home!" She then headed to the kitchen.

Lucy sat herself on the leather, three seater couch and stretched her foot out. Erza sat next to her. I made my way to the chair across from the couch that looked like a recliner, (but doesn't recline) when Lucy spoke.

"Natsu?" I stopped and looked at her. "Can I have some ice for my ankle? Mira said it would help." I nodded. A minute later I walked back to the living room with an ice pack.

"Thanks." she said as I handed it to her.

"No problem."

_Ding dong!_ "It's open!" I yelled as I sat in the chair. I heard the door open and the drum of footsteps as they walked down the hall. Then, Gray, Juvia, and Loki appeared. "Hey guys!" I greeted them.

"Hey, flame brain."

"Kon'nichiwa, Natsu-San. Juvia thanks you for inviting her."

"Konbanwa, Natsu. And hello my hime-sama." Loki rushed to Lucy and, while kneeling in front of her, kissed the back of her hand. She looked startled at his actions. I moved over to them and nudged Loki.

"Not now, Loki. She's injured." I gave him a small push to emphasize my point.

"Fine. What happened?" He asked.

I opened my mouth to answer, but Lucy beat me to it. "I tripped while doing laps. I'm fine, really." Just as Loki was about to say something, the front door slammed open.

"Oi! Salamander! We're coming in!" Gajeel's voice sounded from the hallway. Then, Gajeel and a small, blue haired girl appeared.

* * *

><p>Lucy's POV<p>

"Levy!" I exclaimed. She rushed over and bent down to hug me. I returned the hug.

"Hi Levy." Erza greeted, standing up. Levy pulled away from me and hugged Erza

"Hi Lu-chan, Erza-chan!" Levy chirped. She and Erza sat on the couch, and, in a sadder tone, she informed us "Gajeel got news from Elfman, Lisanna's older brother, that Lisanna won't be able to make it. She says hi to everyone and wishes she could be here."

"That's a shame. I was looking forward to seeing her again." Erza looked a little down cast as she said this. I, on the other hand, was fighting back the urge to jump for joy. A silence passed between the three of us. I decided it was time to change the subject.

"So, Levy-chan, why does Gajeel call you Shrimp?" I asked in a teasing tone. She looked at the floor, blushing ten shades of red.

"He gives everyone a nickname, and mine's Shrimp." she mumbled. I snickered. _What an adorable nickname._

"Hehe. That's so kawaii." I teased her. She pouted at me with her doe brown eyes.

"That is enough. We are not the only females here. We should introduce ourselves to Juvia." Erza butted in. Levy and I instantly agreed, but I asked Erza if I could try something first.

Experimentally, I set my injured foot down. Then, I stood and put some weight on it. Wincing at the slight pain, I put more weight on it until my weight was equally on both feet. _Yes! It's healed enough for me to walk without crutches!_

We walked over to Juvia, who was staring at a now shirtless Gray. Tapping on her shoulder to get her attention, Erza said "Hello, Juvia. Would you like to join us?" Juvia glanced at Gray, who was searching for his shirt, then nodded, somewhat reluctantly. The four of us sat in a circle on the carpeted floor in front of the couch we were just on.

An awkward silence filled the air between us. No one knew what to say. It was Juvia that broke it.

"May Juvia know your names?"

"Of course you may. I'm Lucy. It's nice to meet you!" I reacted first.

"I'm Levy. It's a pleasure to meet you!" Levy said with a smile.

"My name is Erza. It's a pleasure to make your acquaintance." _There's Erza for you. All formal and stuff,_ I thought.

"It's a pleasure to meet you all too." Juvia gave a small smile.

For the next who knows how many hours, the guys and us girls were separated in our own conversations. And fights, for the guys. But Erza somehow stopped them with just one look. _Kawai!_

* * *

><p>Around probably seven or so, we all sat down on the living room floor with plates of food in our hands. Natsu's mom, Grandine, had invited us to stay late so she made us some dinner; whatever type of sandwich we like, our choice of chips, salad, and homemade, chocolate chip cookies.<p>

"Leff's pway truwf orf darf!" Crumbs went flying everywhere as Natsu spoke with his face stuffed of food. Gray, who was sitting next to him, punched him in the face.

"Don't talk with your mouth full, jackass. It's gross."

"Oi! You callin' me gross, snowflake?!"

"Yeah, I am, ash brains!"

"Am I hearing the beginning of an argument?" Erza asked. A dark aura surrounded her, making her ten times scarier than she already can be.

"No ma'am!" Natsu and Gray hugged each other for dear life. "We were just having a conversation!" They were perfectly in sync. _It's so fake. How can Erza not tell?_ I wondered.

"Good. Now, Natsu, what were you trying to say?" _Ok, now I'm officially scared of her. How can she stop those two from fighting so easily?!_

He glared at Gray, who glared back, then turned to everyone. "Let's play truth or dare!"

"I'll take you on, match stick."

"I would love to play."

"If Gray-sama is playing, so will Juvia."

"Tch, whatever."

"Oh, Lu-chan, Erza-chan, we should play!"

"All right, I'm in."

"..." All eyes were on me now. "Okay, why not?"

"Yosh! I'm all fired up!" Natsu pumped his fist in the air. "Who's goin' first?"

"I guess I will." Loki volunteered. "Hmmmm, Gray, truth or dare?"

"Dare."

"All right. I dare you to chug down a bottle of hot sauce." Loki smirked, seeming to know something.

Leaning over, I whispered to Levy "Why's Gray all pale?"

"He hates hot things, he prefers ice cold. Natsu likes fiery hot. That's part of why him and Natsu are always fighting, and the reason for the names they throw at each other." She whispered back. I sat up straight, just as Gray sat down with a bottle of hot sauce.

He gulped, turning paler. Slowly, he lifted it up to his lips. He held it there, then dropped his hand. "I can't do it."

"Hahaha! Stripper chickened out!" Natsu busted out laughing at Gray's surrender.

"Matte. There needs to be a price if you don't complete the task you're given." Erza declared. "I propose that if you are unable to complete it, then you will pay everyone here 20,000 jewel each."

We all gaped at her. _Is she crazy! No one can afford that!_

"I accept the terms." Loki's voice shook me from my thoughts. Everyone else nodded agreement. Sighing, I nodded, too.

Gray looked at the bottle in his hand. Putting on a determined face, he put it to his lips again and swallowed. Then swallowed again. And again. And again. He drank until there was nothing left but a few unreachable drops at the bottom.

His face turned inhumanly red and I swear smoke emanated from his mouth. Quick as a cheetah, he dashed, more like tripped and stumbled, to the kitchen sink while chanting "hot hot hot HOT!". Turning the dial to its coldest, he let the refreshing liquid fill his mouth. It seemed like hours before he turned off the faucet and walked back to us. Natsu snickered as Gray took his spot next to him.

His face took on a wicked smile as he thought of something. "Natsu, truth or dare?"

Seemingly oblivious to Gray's mischievous look, he replied, "Dare of course!"

The once wicked smile turned into a full blown maniac grin as he announced, "For your dare, you will stuff your mouth as full as possible with ice." At that, Natsu's snickering abruptly stopped.

Levy and I giggled at his dumbfounded expression. Loki was laughing his ass off next to Gray, who was doing the same. Erza had an amused expression while Gajeel added to Natsu's torment by hollering "He got you on that one!" between fits of laughter.

Natsu stood up, grumbling "asshole" under his breath, and slunk to the refrigerator/freezer. He opened the freezer door and grabbed a bucket full of ice. Fumbling with the bucket, he picked up a small handful of ice and shoved it in his mouth. Adding more ice in his open jaw, he reclaimed his previous spot on the floor. He kept shoving more ice into his mouth. As he did so, his face and hands became blue tinted from the coldness.

Finally, he couldn't add anymore in his overflowing mouth. Pulling the almost empty bucket closer, he let the ice fall. Shivering, he pulled away from the bucket and fell on his back. By now all the guys were laughing so hard they were doubled over. Us girls, even though we were laughing too, showed mild concern for the shivering man.

My laughter soon gave way to worry when he didn't get up. Looking around, I spotted a blanket on a chair next to the couch. I stood up, walked over to it, and walked back. I tossed the fuzzy blanket over Natsu, who looked at me with grateful onyx eyes. Wrapping the blanket around himself, he sat up as I sat next to Levy.

Since he wasn't allowed to target the person that chose him, he attacked the person next to Gray. "Loki, truth or dare?" His laughter abruptly ceased when he saw Natsu's revenge filled eyes.

Clearing his throat and pushing his glasses up he replied "Dare."

"Hehe. I dare you to ruin Erza's cake."

Everyone except Erza paled. I looked over to her as she took a bight from her strawberry cake; her favorite kind. I then looked to Loki who tentatively stood. Cautiously, he tip toed to Erza. She gave him the scariest death glare known to man. Taking a deep breath, Loki pounced.

It was hard to tell what happened, but Loki never stood a chance. In five seconds it was over with Erza standing on top of Loki. She pressed her foot down on his cheek. "If you ever try that again, I'll kill you."

The guys, minus Loki, busted the heads off with how hard they were laughing. I giggled as I watched Loki's eyes swirl around. His eyes met mine.

"L-Lucy," he croaked "truth or dare?"

"Dare" I was wary.

"I dare you to get Erza off me."

_Pfft, easy._ "Okay. Erza, if you get off Loki, I'll buy you two whole strawberry cakes." Erza's eyes lit up and she hopped off Loki.

I then dared Levy to walk around the house without her glasses. She kept bumping into things! We got a crack out of that. She then dared Erza to give me a wet willy. It was so gross and slobbery! The game turned into one of getting revenge on each other. All in all, it was a fun day.

* * *

><p><strong>Japanese Translations: Kon'nichiwa- hello; Konbanwa- good evening; hime-sama- princess; Oi- hey; kawaii- cute; Kawai- scary; Matte- wait<strong>

**How was it? This is the longest chapter for this story so far. It was really fun to write, but I'm glad I'm done writing it. I would love your thoughts on it!**

**I've posted another AU NaLu fan fic called Dark and Silent. I would love for you guys to go check it out! Just a heads up, I'm going to post chapter 2 for Dark and Silent before I post chapter 5 for this fan fic.**

**Til' next time!**

**-AlphaDemon**


	5. Chapter 5

**Hi mina! Here's chapter 5!**

_(Italics is thoughts and sounds)_

* * *

><p>Lucy's POV<p>

**Dear Mama,**

**It's been a week since school started. A lot happened in that week. It turns out that Lisanna and the brown haired and purple haired girls are in my fifth period art class. I learned that the brown haired girl's name is Evergreen Pixie and the purple haired girl is Mary Hughes. They often humiliate me during class, especially when they found out about my going to Natsu's place. Another thing I learned: they're really popular. Like really popular. And they want the guys for themselves. So much for art being my favorite class.**

**The group that went to Natsu's house on the first day of school haven't hung out like that either. We've been separated outside of school. But, during school we hang out, mostly during lunch. I've gotten comfortable around the weird boys and somewhat used to their strange habits and personalities.**

**The girls and I have been hanging out a lot. We even went shopping this weekend! From gossip, I learned two things; Levy's liked Gajeel since late last school year, and Juvia is in love (more like obsessed) with Gray. I'm trying to think of ways to help them, but so far I have nothing.**

**Natsu and I are friends now. (So much for the competition between us.) He's kind, funny, care-free yet cares for others, loyal, and courageous. But he's as dumb as a rock. No. He's dumber than a rock. And he doesn't know what personal space is. Three days ago, he found where I live. Which happens to be two blocks from his house. Since then, he's come over looking for something to do. I guess he comes here because I'm the closest to his house, but sometimes, okay most of the times, it's extremely irritating. He comes at the wrong times (when I'm eating dinner, about to shower, etc.), and he comes through the window. Who does that?! But, it's kind of nice to have company every now and then. If only he could schedule ahead of time...**

**Well, that about sums up my life right now. I hope you're doing well, wherever you are.**

**Lots of Love,**

**Lucy**

I set my pen down and swiftly put the letter in an envelope. Opening a drawer, I placed the closed envelope on top of the others I'd written over the years. A small tear escaped my eye as I thought of my deceased mother. Quickly, I wiped it away, only to be met with more warm liquid. Why I was crying, I didn't know. I'd been through this the first few letters I'd written. But, over time, I was able to write them without crying.

No matter how hard I tried, they wouldn't stop. I took deep, calming breaths. It helped, but didn't make them stop.

I heard the window slide up and the creak of my bed as weight was put on it. Hurriedly, I wiped the tears away and spun to look at the intruder. Onyx eyes stared back at me.

"Luce? What's wrong?" Natsu asked, honest concern evident in his voice. Hopping off my bed, he walked over to me.

"N-nothing." I mentally damned myself for stuttering. "Nothing's wrong. I'm fine." I gave a smile I hoped looked reassuring.

He gave me a skeptic look. "Are you sure? I can see the tear stains on your cheeks."

I touched my cheeks and realized they were damp. Pushing past him, I speed walked to the bathroom. I leaned against the now closed, and locked, door. Sighing, I stood. Grabbing a washcloth, I turned the sink faucet on. I thoroughly scrubbed the tear stains off my cheeks with it. I collected myself, then exited the bathroom.

Natsu's POV

_Gosh, I'm so bored._ I threw a ball in the air. It nearly reached the ceiling of my room before plummeting down to the floor where I lay. _I know! I'll go to Luce's place!_ I caught the ball and tossed it over my shoulder as I stood. Throwing on some jeans and a red T, I sauntered down the steps.

"I'm heading to Lucy's!" I called over my shoulder to my mom.

"Have fun! Be back by ten thirty!" She answered from the living room. I glanced at my phone's screen before heading out. It's only 8:03. That gives me about two and a half hours!

After a two to three minute walk, I stood in front of Lucy's apartment. I climbed up an oak tree next to the building. Carefully, I scurried along a branch that grew towards her window. Through the window I saw her. She was facing away from me. Reaching out, I grabbed the bottom of the window and slid it open.

The salty tang of tears filled my nostrils as I stepped onto her bed. Worry wormed its way up me. _Why's she crying?_

"Luce? What's wrong?" I asked once she turned to me. I jumped off her bed and walked to her.

"N-nothing." She stuttered, a clear sign she was lying. "Nothing's wrong. I'm fine." The smile she gave me was forced and didn't look the least bit reassuring.

"Are you sure? I can see the tear stains on your cheeks." I knew she was hiding something from me.

She touched her cheeks. Roughly, she pushed past me and rushed to the bathroom. It felt like ages had passed when she finally came out. I looked at her from where I sat on her bed. She glanced at me before walking towards an open drawer at her wooden desk.

"What do you want, Natsu?" The tone of her voice made it quite clear she wanted me to leave. She closed the open drawer.

"I came here cause I was bored, but now I want to know what the matter is."

"I told you already. Nothing's wrong. I'm fine." Her voice was bitter.

"The why were you crying?" I asked again.

"I wasn't!" She retorted.

"Yes, you were." I tried to keep my voice calm even though I was getting frustrated.

"I wasn't!" She was getting defensive now.

"Just tell me, Luce. Why were you crying?" My voice was gentle but firm.

"It's none of your business." Lucy mumbled.

"You're my friend. It is my business."

"No, it's not."

"Lu-"

"Just stop!" She shrieked. "Please, just let it go. I don't want to talk about it." Her voice was barely above a whisper now.

"... Just tell me this. Did someone hurt you?"

"No." I could tell by the way she said that simple word that she wasn't lying.

An uncomfortable silence passed between us. Lucy sat fidgeting on a chair in front of her desk. Finally I couldn't take it anymore.

"Why won't you tell me? We're friends, right?"

She looked at me with a soft expression. "Of course we're friends, Natsu." She paused. "It's just... The reason is personal. I've never told anyone about it. Not even Levy." She moved over and sat next to me on the bed. Her small hand rested on my arm to reassure me that we are indeed friends, and that she is, in fact, okay. "Maybe one day I can open up to everyone about it. I'm just not ready yet."

"Okay. When you're ready." I smiled to show I would respect her wishes.

Another silence. This time, however, it was a comfortable one. One part of my arm felt warmer than the rest so I looked down at it. Lucy's hand was still there. I looked up at her and she turned to look at me. She looked down. Then back at me. Her face flushed as she bolted her hand off my arm. The redness kept spreading throughout her cheeks. It was kinda... cute.

The once comfortable atmosphere turned awkward so I decided to act as if nothing happened and break it.

"Hey Luce? You got anything to eat? I'm starving!" I sprinted to the kitchen and threw the refrigerator door open. Sticking my head in, I looked at its contents.

"Natsu! Don't eat everything!" Lucy yelled from the doorway. I took a bite from an apple before glancing at her. What does she take me for? I thought while turning back to the fridge. A pig?

Lucy's POV

Beep! Be- I slammed my fist down on the annoying-as-hell alarm clock. I turned over in my pink blanket in hopes of going back to sleep. Memories of last night flooded my mind, making sleep impossible, though. The letter. Me crying. Natsu worried. The compromise. Him eating from my fridge. Wait... My fridge! I bolted from my bed to the stairs. He better have not cleaned it out! I almost ran into it in my hurry. I flung the door open to... a surprisingly stocked fridge.

"Phew," I sighed in relief. "He didn't eat everything." On my way out of the kitchen I glanced at the oven clock. 6:15 am. Time to get ready for school.

_He's late._ My foot was tapping impatiently as I waited for Natsu. Since he lives two blocks away from me in the opposite direction of the school, we decided that we would meet at my apartment at 7:00 am to walk together. I readjusted my backpack. Looking at my watch I sighed. 7:10. School starts in twenty minutes. I better get going.

Grunting I started the boring walk to school. I got a couple feet when I heard the slap of sandals on pavement.

"Lucy!" Yep. Definitely Natsu. I stopped and glared at him. "Hey. I-"

"You're late." I stated, still glaring. I don't think I've ever mentioned this, but I'm not a morning person.

"Yeah. Sorry. I woke up late then my little sister needed help with something..." He trailed off when his eyes finally met my gaze. I probably looked envious. It's not my fought, though. I've always wanted a sibling, and every time someone mentions theirs, I get this far off look on my face as I think of what it's like.

A large, calloused hand waved in front of my eyes. I snapped my attention back to reality. Damn it, Lucy. Every time.

"Huh? Yeah yeah, it's fine." Ignoring what he was saying, I looked at my watch. "Shit! Natsu we have ten minutes 'til school starts!" I took off sprinting. He easily caught up and, grabbing my wrist, sped up to speeds I could never hope to achieve. Natsu pulled me the entire way and, thanks to his inhuman speed, we made it in time. After saying a quick "ja ne", we separated to our home room classes.

Social Studies. The easiest class; the easy A. The only class I share with all the guys, who are sitting in the row in front of me. Social Studies, my second period class. What does all this add up to? Two words: nap time.

Class was almost over when I started drifting out of a wonderful sleep. I would have none of that, though. A soft snore escaped my lips as I wandered deeper into dream land. But alas, all good things come to an end.

"...You will complete this project in partners," Wakaba-Sensei was saying. "Stop looking at each other! I have chosen your partners. They're on the board. For the last five minutes of class, you will find your partner and discuss what you're doing for the assignment. This is NOT an in-class project so you will need to make meeting arrangements out of class." He walked to his desk as everyone moved to the board. Groans, moans, cheers, and shouts were heard as each person learned who their partner was.

I didn't bother to fight the crowd. Whoever my partner was would probably just come and find me. I was right. But I wasn't expecting him to be my partner.

A tap on my shoulder jolted me from my daydream to the person beside me. "Oh, hey Natsu." I greeted. "Who's your partner?"

He chuckled. "You are."

_Cool. Partnered with a friend. And I was able to avoid Evergreen._ I looked in her direction as she dragged the poor soul to a desk. _But... Isn't Natsu unbelievably stupid? That means I'll probably be doing all the work..._

"So, when and where are we gonna meet?" I asked.

"How 'bout my place tomorrow after school?"

"Sounds good."

"Then tomorrow we can meet at the usual spot to walk there together."

"'Kay."

He flashed his sunny smile, but it turned into a glare when a shirtless Gray crashed into him. They fell, rolling and fighting, to the floor. They shot up like rockets and bashed their foreheads together, glaring at each other.

"What the hell stripper?!" Natsu growled.

"It wasn't my fault hot head!" Gray snarled back.

"Then who's was it?!"

"Gajeel's."

They turned their heads to look at Gajeel. Fuming, they stormed to him and the three engaged in an argument. I sighed and turned away from the brawl they were now in. Just then the bell rung. I packed my things up and headed out the door. Turning my head, I called "See ya later guys!" to the three still fighting and Loki trying to stop them.

* * *

><p><strong>Japanese Translations: ja ne- see ya<strong>

**Not much for me to say...**

**One question though. When Natsu and Lucy are working on the project at Natsu's house (next chapter), should I do Natsu or Lucy's POV or switch the POV between them? Please PM or review with suggestions!**

**Til next time!**

**-AlphaDemon**


	6. Chapter 6

**Gomen mina! I didn't mean to take almost a month to update, but row (you know, like a boat), basketball, and goal ball (look it up if you're curious) started, and my teachers wanted to give the class a lot of homework and projects... Anyway, I lost track of time and I'm sorry. To make up for it, I added a NaLu moment that wasn't originally gonna be in this chapter.**

**Hope you enjoy!**

* * *

><p>Natsu's POV<p>

We stopped by Lucy's apartment on our way to my house. She had said something about changing out of her school uniform.

With a click she unlocked the door and stepped in. I followed after her, plopping down on my favorite seat: the armchair in her small living room. Man, it's so comfortable. I could stay there all day. But nothing - and I mean nothing - will ever be better than her bed. It's like Kami himself gave it to her, with the mattress that engulfs you, the warm, pink duvet comforter and the feather-filled pillows that give you no choice but to curl up and enter a deep slumber. I would sleep on that bed for eternity if I could. It's even better than-

Lucy's voice pulled me from my thoughts. "You can just stay here while I go change."

I nodded and she walked to her room. She shut the door but then hastily opened it. "And don't clean out my fridge."

"Awww." I complained, already halfway to the kitchen. Grumpily, I made my way back to the armchair, where I sat down and pouted.

A few minutes later, Lucy came out from her bedroom. Instead of her uniform, she now wore a turquoise V-neck T-shirt, hot pink short shorts, and dark blue flip-flops. She grabbed a hair tie off a side table and put her hair up in a loose ponytail. Her back pack was slung on her shoulder.

"You ready?" I asked, standing up and grabbing my own back pack.

"Yep."

We exited her apartment and she locked the door behind us. Then, we made our way to my house.

* * *

><p>I held the door open for Lucy. She stepped in and paused. I closed and locked the door, then gestured for her to go to the living roomkitchen.

"I forgot to mention this, but my parents and little sis aren't home right now. They'll be back around seven or somethin'." I said. Our footsteps echoed through the hall. Lucy replied with a "Mm'kay" as we entered to the kitchen table.

I practically threw my bag on the floor before plopping down on an armchair. Lucy was a little more mannered than me. She set her bag down out of the way and gingerly sat on the sofa across from where I was sitting.

"Do you want to change out of your uniform?" Lucy asked. I had totally forgotten about the uncomfortable uniforms we had to wear.

"Yeah," I replied. "Be back in a sec."

I leisurely made my way to the stairs, which are to the left of the front door where we entered. They creaked and groaned as I climbed them. Once at the top, I turned to the right, into a short hallway. I walked a few feet, then turned to the left into my room.

It didn't take me long to change and get back to the kitchen. I entered wearing a dark red T-shirt with my white scaly-looking scarf around my neck, black shorts, and barefoot.

Lucy was bent over the table, already working on the project. As I moved closer, I noticed notes strewn everywhere.

"Sooo... What're we doin' for this project?"

Lucy looked up from some papers and said, "Um, we need to make a map of the world, show each country and their geography, and give two facts about each continent and ocean. Then we need to choose five countries and write a paragraph about them." **(A/N I'm not in high school, so I don't know what you learn there, so just go with it.)**

"Okay. Uh, what do you need me to do?" I asked.

She thought for a moment. "Could you write down facts about the continents and oceans?"

"Sure." I grabbed my thick-as-hell binder from my backpack and set it on the kitchen table. I flipped through my notes, every now and then pulling a paper out. Several double-checks, look-overs, and scribbled notes later, I finally had everything I needed.

I sauntered around to the other side of the table, where Lucy was. On a gigantic poster board she had drawn North America (pretty well, I might add) and was now working on South America. She didn't notice me until I was hovering over her shoulder, admiring her artwork.

Lucy started and yelped, knocking her head into my chin.

"Ow, Luce!" I said, rubbing my sore chin and backing up. She glared at me.

"Don't hover over me!" she exclaimed.

"Okay, fine. I won't." I raised my hands in an 'I surrender' gesture. In a lower voice, I mumbled, "Jeez, I was only lookin' at her drawing."

"What was that?!"

"N-nothing!"

"So, what did you want?" Lucy asked.

"Huh? Oh, uh, I finished with the research." I replied, holding up the papers for her to see.

She took them and flipped through the pile. Every now and then, she would stop to read something on a piece of notebook paper. Probably the notes I wrote down.

When she finished, she gave me this... astonished look. It was like she wanted to say "You're actually smart?!"

Instead, she said, "This is really good, Natsu." I flashed a toothy grin. "Um, let's see... I guess you could-"

"Make snacks. On it!" I interrupted. Hey, don't blame me, blame my stomach.

I strolled to the pantry and thrust the door open, scanning the shelves. I grabbed a random box that looked good and set it on the counter before opening the fridge. There was a carton of milk, a pitcher of water, some apples, cheese, leftover dinner, and an entire drawer of vegetables. Placing an apple in my mouth, I grabbed another one and the water pitcher. At the counter, I poured two glasses of water. I returned the pitcher before bringing the snacks to the table.

Lucy watched me as I took a bite from the juicy fruit in my mouth. Her stomach growled. Chuckling, I tossed the other apple to her. She caught it and took a bite, moaning in pleasure as the fruit juices ran down her throat.

We both sat down at the table, eating our apples in silence. It wasn't an awkward silence, more like a comfortable and peaceful one.

I finished my snack first, Lucy close behind. When she finished, I took both the cores and threw them away.

Coming back to the table, I asked, "So, what now?"

Lucy opened her mouth to answer when she was interrupted by a soft 'mew' at her feet.

She looked down at Happy, my blue-gray cat. A small squeal escaped her lips as she picked him up and into her lap. Happy purred contentedly when Lucy started to rub behind his ears. I smiled at the sight.

"That's Happy."

She looked at me. "His name's Happy?"

"Yeah."

"... Odd"

I sent her a playful glare and crossed my arms over my chest in fake anger. "You got a problem with his name?!"

"No! No! It's just not a... common name." she defended. "Why's his name Happy?"

I softened my gaze at her. "My family had just lost a cat to a disease and we were all gloomy and sad. I was seven." I paused, remembering the beautiful red tabby tom I used to play with. He was like the brother I never had. His name was Flame because of his fiery fur, and I like hot things because they remind me of him and the way he looked like a blazing fire when he ran. "I was walking home one day and literally tripped over a box of free kittens in the middle of the sidewalk. There was only one cat left; he was so thin and sad. But when he saw me looking at him, he perked up and let out a happy little mew. So, I brought him home and when my family played with him they became overly happy. So I named him that; Happy."

"So you named him Happy because he made everyone happy," she murmured. A smile crept it's way onto her face. She turned to me, and it became a full grin.

"What?"

"It's just... That's adorable." Her cheeks were dusted with a small blush as she said this.

I scratched the back of my head awkwardly. "Well, I mean, he brought happiness. Plus I was, like, ten."

"Still adorable."

"Whatever."

We continued with the project for another couple of hours.

Lucy glanced at the wall clock, and her eyes widened a little. "Ne, Natsu." I turned my attention to her. "I should get going."

My gaze drifted to the clock, which read 6:30. "Okay. Let's pack up fir-"

_Ring! Ring! Ring!_

I snatched the home phone from the kitchen counter and, not even glancing at the caller ID, answered it.

"Dragneel house."

"Natsu, it's mom. There's...huge storm...Wendy and I...stuck at..school...father is stuck at work. We're going...wait out... storm...home when...over." The line was breaking up, probably from the storm she mentioned.

"Okay, mom. I'm at the house. You guys stay safe and be home soon." I don't know how much of that made it through. I hope mom got enough to understand what I was saying.

"We will. See...soon, Natsu."

The line went dead.

I put the phone down. Somewhere from the hall, Lucy called "Bye Natsu!" The lock clicked.

"Wait! Luce!"

_BOOM!_

A loud clap of thunder made the windows rattle. I caught up to Lucy at the front door. Thank Kami she hadn't opened it yet.

"It was my mom that called. She said there's a huge storm, and I'm guessing it's here too. You can't go out in it." I locked the door back.

"Y-yeah. Okay."

Her eyes were opened wide and swimming with fear. Her whole body was trembling. She was scared.

"Luce? You okay?" I asked, my voice laced with concern.

"Y-yeah. I just-" Another _BOOM!_ sounded. Lucy flinched. "just don't like storms."

Gently, I grabbed her shaking hand in mine and led her back to the living room couch. She dropped her bag on the floor on the way. Thunder crackled outside, picking up in volume and frequency. Lucy's knees buckled and she fell on the couch. I grabbed a blanket and my iPod before sitting next to her.

* * *

><p>Lucy's POV<p>

Gosh, this embarrassing.

I pulled my knees to my chest and rested my head on them. The couch sunk a little when Natsu sat next to me. A blanket was placed over my shoulders. I lifted my head and pulled the blanket around me.

_BOOM!_

I flinched. I don't know why I'm afraid of storms. I just am.

"Here, Luce." Headphones were placed on my ears. Natsu gave me an iPod. Happy jumped in my lap as I scrolled through Natsu's songs, finally finding one I like and playing it.

I was halfway through the third song when the iPod ran out of battery. And the power went out. And the storm seemed to have only worsened. Plus, I could now see the lightning as well as hear the thunder. Sometime earlier Happy had left my lap, so I lost the comfort his warm fur gave me.

Great. Just great.

I took off the headphones and turned to Natsu. Who was asleep. Seriously, how does anyone sleep through this? Soft snores escaped from his open mouth, but were drowned out by the drum of thunder. As an even louder thunder clap boomed, I subconsciously moved closer to Natsu's soothing presence. I tapped him, whimpering "Natsu, wake up... Onegai, Natsu..."

The thunder relentlessly continued, getting louder each time. I finally found my voice as fear took over.

"Natsuuuuu!"

* * *

><p>Natsu's POV<p>

I jolted awake, my eyes shooting open, at the sound of Lucy's fear filled voice. I looked around, my eyes adjusting to the darkness. Wait, darkness? Did the power go out? Whatever. I have good night vision anyway.

I turned toward Lucy, who had moved closer and was now holding my arm in a death grip. The headphones and iPod were seated in her lap.

"Luce? Why're you not using the iPod?" I asked.

She held tighter to my arm as another thunder clap sounded, making me wince. Damn, this girl is stronger than she looks.

"Th-the battery d-died. So did the e-electricity," she managed.

She was shaking so much. Her voice was nothing but fear-filled. I'd never seen anyone so scared. It pained me to see my best friend this way. For some reason it hurt more to see Lucy like this than any of my other friends. I had this urge to protect her. I wonder why. I'll have to figure it out later, though. I have other issues at the moment.

"Oh, um." I moved the iPod and headphones to the empty seat on my other side. Without a word, I freed my captive arm and slung it over Lucy's shoulders, pulling her closer to me. I chanced a look and saw rosy red cheeks burrow further into my chest. I had to fight a blush of my own.

Slowly, her shaking subsided. Her breathing became more even as she started drifting off to sleep.

"Thank you, Natsu," she said, before falling in a slumber.

"Any time, Luce. Any time."

* * *

><p><strong>Japanese Translations: onegai - please<strong>

**Isn't Natsu just adorable and so kind!**

**There's really no reason that Lucy is afraid of storms, if you're wondering. I just needed a way to add a NaLu moment. And no, Lucy is NOT gonna be some scaredy cat wimp through the whole story.**

**So... I'm runnin' out of ideas to keep the story going and build the relationships (NaLu, Jerza, Gruvia, GaLe). I have a huge scene planned out where Lucy is... and Natsu is... and has something to do with Jude Heartifillia, Acnologia, and Zeref, but the NaLu relationship needs to build and become a thing before this can happen. If you have any suggestions/ideas, please let me know and if I use it I will give you full credit for the idea. If no one suggests anything, then, updates will be slower while I try to find something.**

**Rate and Review, ne?**

**-AlphaDemon**


	7. Author's Note

**Sorry guys, this isn't a new chapter. But please, do read this.**

**So, my day today was kinda crappy. It rained during our first day outside for health class, I rowed 4,550 meters on an erg machine and was so tired that I was so nauseous that I WANTED to barf just to get rid of the nauseous feeling, and worst of all, my iPad was dropped at school and it broke. Of course, all the fanfics I'm currently reading were on it, and I write my fanfics on an app called Pages. Now, I lost what I had written for chapter 7 of ****_My Other Half _****and I have to rewrite it from memory. Also, my updates will be less frequent because I would write parts of the chapters at school, but now I have to write them at home on my computer, so it will take some more time. And then add the fact that my e-mail is only on my iPad, and I now cannot access it to read reviews, PMs, and know when I get follows and favorites and when new chapters are added to the fanfics I'm reading.**

**Anyway, I won't be updating as fast as I want. I am NOT abandoning any of my stories, no matter how long it takes for me to update them.**

**-AlphaDemon**


	8. Chapter 7

**Hi guys! I actually got another chapter out before Christmas Day! I'm so proud of myself! If you reviewed for chapter six or the author's note, please read the author's note at the end of this chapter.**

**Here's chapter seven!**

* * *

><p>Lucy's POV<p>

I woke up warm. _Really _warm. It wasn't a suffocating kind of warmth, but more of like the comfortable kind that you can't get enough of.

I pulled the blanket tighter around me. The sun's bright rays penetrated through my closed eyelids, causing me to snuggle deeper into my pillow.

…

…

…

Do pillows move?

No, didn't think so.

So why is mine fidgeting? And why is it hard? And bumpy? Is that an arm?

I cracked open an eye, squinting at the sudden brightness. Looking around, I realized this wasn't my house. Before panic could set in, I realized it was Natsu's place.

Wait… does that mean….?

I looked at my 'pillow' and nearly screamed when I saw Natsu instead. It only got worse when I noticed the position we were in.

I was half on Natsu's lap, using his chest as a pillow. His arm was securely around my waist. Our legs were a tangled mess. My arm was draped over his body. I had been hugging him in my sleep. And it looks like he had been hugging back.

What. The. Hell.

Is it okay for best friends to cuddle? I don't think so. Either way, I'd only ever let someone I love romantically cuddle me like this. No offense to the guy, but Natsu is not that someone. So, of course, I let my instincts take over. You know what they were screaming? Kick.

"LUCY KICK!"

My foot connected with Natsu's side, sending him sprawling to the floor. I stood. Believe me when I say I feel bad for doing that. But when you wake up cuddling with your best friend, would your reaction be any different?

A groan sounded from the floor. I looked down to see Natsu. He looked so pitiful and in pain. I feel worse now; he's probably going to have a bruise there later.

"What the hell was that for?" He rubbed his sore side, which didn't help me feel any less mean.

"Why were you cuddling me?!"

He gave me an incredulous look. "You were scared last night and I was comforting you. I was only doing what a good best friend would do."

Oh, yeah. Forgot about that… Now I feel like a bitch. God, I'm a terrible person right now. "Sorry, Natsu."

He sighed, and placed a hand on my shoulder after standing. "It's fine. Just please don't do it again. It really hurt."

So even the big, brave, courageous, tough, Natsu Dragneel can get hurt. And by a weakling like me, no less. I totally just got my self-confidence boosted.

"I make no such promises." Believe me when I say I don't want to kick Natsu again, but if something were to happen, not saying anything will, my instincts might take over again. Let's hope nothing happens.

The phone rang. Natsu answered it.

I patiently waited. Hahaha… no. I am not a patient person. Plus, I had just realized that it was a freaking school day. Oh, god. Oh, god. Oh, god. I can't be late! I was practically bouncing off the walls as I packed everything into my school bag. I wasn't even halfway done when Natsu walked over to me.

"Luce?"

I didn't look up as I continued packing. "What?"

"What're you doing?"

"Packing for school. You should too."

Of course he decided to inform me that because of flooding from last night's storm school was canceled AFTER I had everything packed up and ready to go. His face didn't show it, but I saw the amusement in his eyes. I will get him back for that. At least school was canceled, though, because it was already 8:30. We would've been late anyways.

He also explained that his mom and little sister were safe but stuck at the school. His dad was just going to stay at the office for work since he had spent the night there.

I sat down on the couch, sighing in relief. Natsu joined me.

A comfortable silence followed that information.

But good things never last long. Natsu's stomach let out the biggest growl I had ever heard. Anyone that didn't know his eating habits would've thought he hadn't eaten in days with how loud it was.

I chuckled. Natsu rubbed the back of his head sheepishly as his stomach let loose another low growl.

"Someone's hungry."

"Yeah. Kinda."

"Kinda? You sound like you haven't eaten since last week!"

"I'm always hungry in the morning," he confessed. "But… Idon'tknowhowtocook." He mumbled the last part so I didn't hear it.

"What'd you say?"

He sighed. "I don't know how to cook."

Figures. He loves to eat, yet he can't make his own food. Ironic, really.

Just then, a wonderful thought came to my mind. Payback.

"I can make some breakfast," I offered.

He perked up at this. "Really?"

"Yep."

"Awesome! Thanks, Luce." He had the widest, goofiest grin on his face.

"Hold on, now," I said. "I never said anything about making breakfast for you. You're on your own, Pinky."

His face was priceless. His jaw hung open in pure disbelief while his eyes swam with defeat and a hint of anger. The anger was probably at the nickname 'Pinky'.

I smirked at him before making my way to the kitchen. I found the ingredients to make egg, cheese, and pork burritos. Going as slowly as possible, I scrambled the eggs and melted the cheese on top. Then I added the pork – which had been heated in the microwave – to the mix and distributed it equally into two burrito shells.

Natsu was drooling. And I mean _literally _drooling. It was hanging out his mouth, dropping off his chin. He sniffed the air and looked about ready collapse in pure pleasure. My cooking's just that good. Not trying to brag or anything.

Without a word, I put the burritos on two separate plates and sat down. I patted the spot across from me. Natsu bounded over and sat down at the indicated spot, waiting eagerly for me to hand him his food. Too bad for him I decided to tease him some more by making him wait longer.

"You get this when I get some water," I said. He pouted, which was admittedly cute.

He grumbled "Fine" and got up. Still pouting, he returned with two glasses of water, placing one in front of me. That was when I decided he had had enough torture for right now. I placed one of the burritos in front of him.

* * *

><p>Natsu's POV<p>

Heavenly. That is the only way to describe Lucy's cooking. The warm cheese melted on top of perfectly scrambled eggs and savory pork created a wonderful taste that made my mouth water. I couldn't get enough of it, and in a matter of seconds, I had snarfed down the entire burrito.

I sat contently, patting my full belly. Then, something really embarrassing happened.

I. Freaking. Belched… _Loudly._

Lucy looked at me with wide eyes and part of her burrito in her mouth. She took a bite and chewed slowly. I was expecting her to yell at me about manners and all that shit when she swallowed. Instead, I got something no one would expect from a lady.

A belch. That was almost as loud and long as mine.

"Whoops," Lucy said while covering her mouth with her hand. "It slipped."

I gave her mischievous look. "Is that a challenge?"

She smirked. Oh, it is so on.

Simultaneously, we reached for our water glasses. We chugged down the contents in record time and burped. At the same time. With the same volume. The same length (which was looooong).

Next, we took turns in burping the alphabet. Lucy burped 'A', I burped 'B', then Lucy burped 'C', and so on. I was almost out of gas **(A/N: Get it? XD) **when I burped the last letter. Using all the remaining gas inside me, I burped out one long 'Zzzzzzzzzzzzz'.

Lucy was laughing her ass off across from me. Tears brimmed her tightly closed eyes as she doubled over in a fit of laughter. I joined in, clutching my stomach and willing the tears to not escape my eyes. We sat there, two teens laughing hysterically, doubled over and clutching our aching sides.

Best morning ever.

* * *

><p>Lucy's POV<p>

After our little burping contest, we decided to just hang out and talk. I sat on the couch while Natsu sat on the arm chair across from me. We both just sat there, unsure of what to say.

"Um…" I started. "So, uh, how's life?"

Natsu chuckled. "How's life? That's what you came up with?"

"At least I actually came up with something instead of sitting there awkwardly," I retorted.

"I'm not awkward!" Natsu exclaimed.

"Pfft, uh huh, sure you're not."

"I'm not," he grumbled. "Well, life has been good, I guess."

"That's good," I commented. Another silence followed. Man, this is awkward.

"Hey, Luce?" I hummed in response. "Now, what?"

"Hmmmm…. How about a movie?" I suggested.

"I'm in!"

And so, we spent the next probably thirty minutes fighting over which movie to watch. I wanted something dramatic and full of romance. Natsu wanted something action packed and scary, or a comedy. I could live with a comedy, but I don't do blood and gore and horror. Plus, everyone knows that when a guy and a girl watch a scary movie, it's so that the guy can do 'the move' on the girl. You know, the one where they put their arm around the girl's shoulders, pulling her closer to him so that he can 'protect her'. I'm a sucker for watching movies where that happens IN THE MOVIE, but I don't want it happening here, with my best guy friend. Just, no. If that were to happen, and my friends were to find out, then a lot of misunderstandings would occur about Natsu and I's relationship.

In the end, we decided on watching an action/drama movie. I made popcorn while Natsu started up the movie. One problem though, there was only one popcorn bowl.

"Natsu, do you have any more popcorn bowls?" I mean, come on, I've checked everywhere already.

"Nah, we only have the one. I kinda broke the other one," he replied over his shoulder.

"O-oh, okay. You can have the popcorn then." Dang it, I was really looking forward to that delicious, buttery snack. I poured the popcorn into the bowl and started walking to the couch.

Natsu joined me as I sat down. "We can share."

"A-are you sure?"

"Of course!"

"Okay then."

We both dug our hands into the bowl. Our fingers touched for just a second. But in that second, I felt a spark. Not a painful one, like a shock you get from metal, but one that I would need to feel again to know what it was. The movie started, making me stop pondering over it.

The end of the movie was near, I could feel it. I was on the edge of my seat, held in suspense. The admittedly hot main character was running down the deserted streets of his ruined and war-torn city. He was running to the person he loved, but was being chased by the enemy. Grabbing the rifle off his back, he spun around, and fired. All around him, his enemies fell dead with bullet holes piercing their body and blood staining their clothes. Not one stood a chance against him.

Unfortunately, enemy reinforcements were on their way. He kept running. And running. Finally, he made it to where he and his love were to meet. She wasn't there. He didn't have much time to use on waiting, but still he waited. His love soon arrived, coated in cuts and bruises, but nothing life threatening. They kissed, deep and passionate. There was nowhere for them to run, nowhere to hide. As one, they said "I love you". They kissed again, more fierce this time, as the building they were in was bombed. They went down in a blaze of glory, held in the arms of their lover. A sad, yet happy ending to a good movie.

Of course, Natsu thought otherwise.

"Oh come on! It can't end like that!" he yelled at the TV, which was now showing the end credits.

"It was a good ending, full of romance and love. They died happy." I said.

"But I hate when the good guys die! It's not fair to them! They deserved to live happily ever after!"

Like in a fairy tale. "Not all stories have a happy ending, Natsu. Take Romeo and Juliet for example."

"Yeah, I know. It's just better when they end happily."

"Yeah," I agreed, in a soft voice. My mom deserved a happy ending, but she died. No, she was murdered.

"Luce? Why're you crying?"

I touched my cheeks. They were wet. When did I start crying? I guess I need to let my feelings and emotions out, to someone I trust. My mom's death is starting to affect me again.

"I think it's time I told you why I was crying the other night when you came to my place."

* * *

><p><strong>So, what'd ya think? I had fun writing this chapter, in all honesty. Lots of NaLu moments.<strong>

**Jellal will hopefully come in next chappy, not sure though. Next chapter will be out probably after new years.**

**Happy Holidays to everyone!**

**Review Responses:**

CelestialWizard**- I had Haruhi in mind when I was writing chapter six**

Shugo Fairy 4eva**- bananas are good**

molly klein (guest)-** I have to agree with that**

MikurisanScarlet**- thank you! I look forward to any suggestions you might have**

AnimeOnCookie**- I know right!**

Guest**- I have a Natsu Lucy Lisanna love triangle planned out, and I might do a Gray Juvia Lyon love triangle**

wickedgirl13**- I'm definitely making more**

FlyingDoll4**- yeah I know that you can see all of that on this website, but I got alerts on my e-mail so I knew. in other words, I'm too lazy to really check but I will check periodically.**

Ellella Grace (guest)**-**** Thank you so so so so so much!**


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